


The Kingdom and You

by shanahane



Category: Kyou Kara Maou!
Genre: Angst with a Happy Ending, Drama, Family, Fluff, Light Angst, M/M, Oneshot, Romance, alternative universe
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-05-10
Updated: 2019-05-10
Packaged: 2020-02-29 16:31:33
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,451
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18781972
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/shanahane/pseuds/shanahane
Summary: “Your Majesty!”“What?”"What?"As they turned to the crowd that had appeared, Wolfram realized they had spoken at the exact same time. Yuuri’s eyebrows lifted in surprise and Wolfram felt his cheek warm up but he kept his expression neutral, if a little defiant. For five years he had secretly wished for this moment and now that Yuuri really was here, something cold was holding back the joy.“You’re the king now?”There was a hint of pride in Yuuri’s question and Wolfram felt his eyes burn again. “Yes.”--Or, what if it had taken Yuuri 5 years to return to the Demon Kingdom?





	The Kingdom and You

**Author's Note:**

> This has literally been in my drafts for years. I haven't written Yuuram for... Gosh, it's been a LONG time. I just sort of stumbled into a picture of them and figured I should finally - finally - finish this. 
> 
> It's a oneshot that should really be a chapter fic to reach it's potential but well, enjoy anyway :)

“I do not believe you have to move out in such a hurry.”

“These are the king’s bedchambers, Conrad. The new king will want to move into them. Besides…” Wolfram sighed as he folded one of his many nightgowns into a basket. “I was never actually supposed to live here anyway.”

“Yuuri didn’t mind.”

“Maybe not. At least towards the end. When he finally…”

Wolfram closed his eyes.

It wasn’t fair.

He couldn’t exactly pinpoint the moment he had realized his possessiveness had turned into genuine love towards the king. This realization had only given fuel to his jealousy even though he had known his love would never be returned. He had known it and yet held on, painfully aware that at some point his heart would end up breaking.

Then, all of a sudden, there was hope. Yuuri, shy and scared, confessed that while still complicated, his feelings for Wolfram were growing into something more than platonic. By no means did it mean he was ready for marriage but out of nowhere, Wolfram found himself sleeping in the king’s arms instead of being kicked and pushed to the far side of the bed.

They had never even had a chance to share a first kiss. Never had there been a real declaration of love or anything more than hushed giggles and secret smiles. But these were the memories Wolfram took comfort from now that his bed was empty, his love far beyond his reach. His heart broken as he had predicted.

“Did I ever tell you how proud I was?” Conrad said suddenly, startling Wolfram from his thoughts. “When you told Yuuri to leave?”

“I was being selfish,” Wolfram lied. “He would have grown to resent me if I had asked him to stay. To leave his family and the world he has known his whole life to be a king of a country he can barely call home. At least now he can remember me fondly.”

“Wolfram…”

The door opened. Wolfram didn’t have to turn around to recognize his eldest brother’s heavy steps.

“You can tell the new king I will be out of here by sundown.”

“We didn’t come to a decision yet.”

That piqued Wolfram’s interest enough for him to stop emptying the closet. “Oh?”

“The aristocrats put forward three candidates,” Gwendal explained. “Gunther and I will discuss each option at length.”

“Who are the candidates?” Conrad asked.

“Mother,” Gwendal started. “Although I am fairly sure she will refuse if we were to elect her. “

“And the others?” Conrad prompted.

Gwendal groaned. “Anissina. She put herself forward.”

“That’d be interesting,” Wolfram chuckled dryly. “The third?”

“You.”

Wolfram froze. “What? Me? Did you…?”

“No. Although I am already starting to see that your uncle has a point.”

“Uncle nominated me?”

“Yes.”

Wolfram’s hands formed fists. “So he wants a puppet. The kind that mother was to Stoffel.”

“We won’t let him have that kind of hold of you,” Gwendal said firmly.

“You speak as if the decision has already been made.”

“With intimate ties to the last two demon kings, you are the most obvious choice.”

Wolfram huffed. “No, I’m not. I’m an easy choice. Mother will most likely disappear to one of her cruises if she’s elected, Anissina will use more time on her projects than actually ruling the country. Also, the general public already knows me as the fiancé of the king so the transition would be easier for them.”

“Easy or obvious, I’d put your uniforms back in that closet if I were you,” Gwendal said. “I will let you know as soon as the decision has been made.”

He left the room without saying anything else. Wolfram stared at the closed door for a good while before slamming the closet door shut in a sudden stab of anger.

“Wolfram?”

Wolfram jumped. He had almost forgotten Conrad was there.

“He’s not coming back. Is he?” He hated how his voice shook.

“No. He’s not.”

“How could I…? I mean… King? Me…? I could never, how…?”

“Hey, hey…” Wolfram hadn’t realized he was shaking until Conrad took a firm but gentle hold of his shoulders. “No decision has been made yet. And you heard Gwendal. You can refuse.”

Wolfram shook his head. “No. No, I can’t.”

* * *

Coronation day.

It was really happening. He’d become the 28th Demon King. The crowd that was gathering along the streets of the capital, the lords and ladies arriving in expensive carriages… They were all there to celebrate him.

It was almost scary.

He had been the third prince. The Fiancé. The heir to be pushed aside were his uncle ever to marry and have children. Never, ever, had he been the center of attention unless he made enough noise he couldn’t be ignored. Now, he was going to have a country to rule.

He knew what his uncle wanted. He trusted Wolfram’s pride as a demon to match his own. And not too long ago, Wolfram _would_ have been exactly the kind of king his uncle wanted.

Now, though…

A knock on the door interrupted Wolfram’s musings. He called out a half-hearted ‘enter’ and wasn’t the least bit surprised when his brothers entered.

“Everything is ready,” Gwendal announced.

Wolfram nodded. “Well, then. We mustn’t keep everyone waiting.”

Gwendal glanced at the Conrad. If the initial nomination had come as a shock, Wolfram had shown next to no emotion upon hearing of his new, royal position. Ever since Yuuri had gone to Earth, never to return, Wolfram had slowly but surely become subdued, quiet, formal. The only real emotion he showed was with Greta, who still managed to prompt a smile out of Wolfram. The castle had become quiet, the impact of Yuuri even more evident now that he wasn’t there anymore.

“You’ll be a great king,” Conrad said. “There is no doubt you knew Yuuri the best and will be able to continue his work in a way that would make him proud.”

Wolfram shook his head. “I’m not worthy of the title he held.”

“Yes, you are!” Both Conrad and Wolfram were surprised at Gwenda’s stern tone.

“Brother…?”

“The aristocrats may have had varying reasons to back Valtorana’s suggestion to name you the king, but, ultimately, they do want what is best for this kingdom. They would not have agreed had they not thought you could grow to be a Maou that this kingdom deserves.” As Gwendal stepped closer to him, Wolfram wondered if there’d ever come a day he didn’t have to look up to meet his eye. “Right now, right here, the only one doubting you is you.”

Wolfram blinked.

“He’s right,” Conrad chimed in. “So let’s go, before Gunther sends a search party after us.”

Hours and hours later, the 28th Demon king got into bed, a little drunk and high on adrenaline. He had dropped his uniform and cape and crown into a pile on the floor and didn’t bother to get his nightgown as he got under the covers and reached his arm to the other side of the bed.

Which was empty.

The sheets were cold and the pillow as untouched and suddenly the bed felt too big, the room was too big, the castle was too big. But it was all Wolfram’s now, his to command, his to look after.

“I’ll protect what you left behind.”

Clutching the corner of what had been Yuuri’s pillow, Wolfram cried. He didn’t sleep in the king’s chamber any more after that.

* * *

Five years later found Wolfram kicking dust around the yard of the Tomb of the Great One. They had been summoned urgently for a ‘great announcement’ that apparently wasn’t so urgent that they couldn’t be made to wait for what felt like hours. Wolfram could only hope the announcement was not somehow related to Gunther’s not-so-gentle prompting to find someone to marry.

“In the kingdom’s best interest!” was how he always ended his arguments. Wolfram could only wonder how Yuuri would handle Gunther’s persistence.

Speaking of Yuuri.

The fountain looked the same as ever as Wolfram stopped to sit on the edge of it. The water was cool to the touch and Wolfram let his hand draw circles in it, a tiny smile playing on his lips as he remembered what Yuuri could do with water.

Five years… Compared to his long life span, five years was a short time. But as Wolfram had found moving on quite difficult, the days and months had stretched on slowly, and he felt as if he had aged at least 20 years. Maybe, he thought, if he allowed himself to look around and see what the kingdom had to offer, he could find someone who could push Yuuri to the back of his mind.

Shaking his head, Wolfram was about to stand up to leave when the calm water suddenly started to swirl. He barely realized what was happening before he was suddenly pulled into the fountain by his elbow. Sputtering, Wolfram pulled himself free of the grip, cursing as his head didn’t catch up with the situation until he heard an uncertain: “Wolfram?”

Wolfram froze. His heart made a painful jolt as it was stabbed with hope because that was the voice he had only heard in his dreams for so long. He didn’t turn around until there was a hand on his shoulder, too scared to discover that his mind was playing tricks with him.

“H-hey? Wolf?”

Stubbornly blinking back tears, Wolfram turned slowly to see Yuuri grinning at him, with the Great Sage casually waving from the other edge of the fountain. Yuuri looked a bit older. His features were a little sharper than what Wolfram remembered, but the sparkle in his eyes was the same and his smile was just as wide.

“You… you’re back?”

Yuuri’s grin widened. “Looks like it!”

His heart hammered in his chest and Wolfram, for once, found himself in loss of words. “Took you long enough,” he finally mumbled.

Yuuri blinked, clearly a little confused by the less than enthusiastic welcome. “Well, I mean… It has been a while, hasn’t it? I tried a few times but…”

“A few times?”

“…yeah?”

“You only tried a few times?”

“I was told it was impossible, it felt like a waste of time after the first couple of times!”

“A waste of…? You didn’t _want_ to come back?”

“That’s not what I said, can you not…?”

“Your Majesty!”

“What?”  
"What?"

As they turned to the crowd that had appeared, Wolfram realized they had spoken at the exact same time. Yuuri’s eyebrows lifted in surprise and Wolfram felt his cheek warm up but he kept his expression neutral if a little defiant. For five years he had secretly wished for this moment and now that Yuuri really was here, something cold was holding back the joy.

“You’re the king now?”

There was a hint of pride in Yuuri’s question and Wolfram felt his eyes burn again. “Yes,” he replied shortly before standing up, dignified as he managed in his soaked state. “Dry him up and bring him to the castle. Greta will be overjoyed to see him,” he told his brothers and Gunther and with that, he left the courtyard. He didn’t stop to wait for the entourage when he reached the horses, something he’d probably hear about later, and rode off.

* * *

The whole castle abuzz with the news and suddenly the place that had felt too empty for five years was way too crowded and Wolfram ended up taking solitude in his own chambers, hiding away from the maids, his family and most importantly, Yuuri.

He was supposed to be happy. He was supposed to feel overjoyed, he was supposed to not want to leave Yuuri’s side, not let him out of his sight.

All he felt was confusion.

Were they still engaged? Did Yuuri still want to be engaged? Would they crown Yuuri king again? What would Wolfram’s place be if they did?

Wolfram needed something certain to focus on. Something he knew for sure.

The one thing he was sure of was that Yuuri’s was Shinou’s chosen one. Yuuri becoming king was what was meant to be, Wolfram being crowned had been convenient.

That being clear as day, Wolfram sat down behind his desk with his quill and a piece of parchment and began to write. It took him a few times to get the wording right but he finally managed to put down what he wanted to say and began to copy the same letter onto another parchment.

A knock on the door interrupted him.  It was firm enough for him to know who it was and he sighed inwardly as he called out ‘come in’.

It wasn’t only Gwendal that came in but Conrad also, which surprised Wolfram. He had expected his little big brother to go right back into protector mode and stay by Yuuri at all times.

“Dinner’s ready,” Conrad said. “Are you going to join us?”

Wolfram put the quill down. “I guess it’s expected of me.”

“We’re your family,” Gwendal grunted. “No one will judge you if you want to stay here. But he has been asking about you.”

Wolfram’s hand formed a fist. “I’m sure he has.” He squared his shoulders and stood up, face a mask of nonchalance. “Well, now that you are here, this is for you,” he said and gave one of the finished letters for Gwendal to read. His brother skimmed through it, the ever-present frown deepening.

“You’ll give up the crown?”

“It’s his by right. That’s how Shinou intended it.”

“Wolfram…” Conrad started but Wolfram cut him off by holding his hand up.

“It is for the best if he is here to stay. If he…” He had to work hard for his voice to stay steady. “…if he intends to go back to Earth, we’ll have another discussion. Now then. Dinner?”

* * *

"He doesn’t sleep here anymore.”

Yuuri turned to see Greta and was once again struck by how mature she looked. She smiled a little as she stepped in.

“He moved out the day after the coronation.”

“Oh?”

“Yeah. He told me I could have the room to myself if I wanted but it’s just so big for a little girl, isn’t?”

“I guess,” Yuuri shrugged. “So where does he live now?”

“In his old chambers. The ones he had before you came.”

“Right.”

“You should go talk to him.”

Yuuri sighed. “He didn’t even seem happy that I’m back.”

“Are you back?”

“What do you mean?”

“Well… You’re not the king anymore. You have no obligation to stay,” Greta said. She sounded like she was already afraid of the answer.

They were almost the same age now, but at that moment, Yuuri saw the little girl who had baked him a Father’s Day cake. Her curls had grown almost to her waist but she hadn’t lost her freckles or the shy way she smiled when she felt a bit embarrassed.

“I don’t need an obligation to stay where my heart is,” he finally said.

“But Earth is your home.”

“So is the Demon Kingdom. I know it’s been a long time, even longer for you than me. And I may have only really been here a moment but so much happened while I was here that there’s no way I could think of this place as anything other than home. I belong here. And yes, I belong on Earth, too, but I should be able to travel back and forth just as I did before if we’re to believe Murata.”

“You _are_ staying then?”

“I am.”

Greta’s shoulders relaxed and the smile that spread on her face was a relieved, genuine one. “Well then… Go tell him that!”

“Wolfram?”

“Yes!” Greta exclaimed. “He lost you once, he’s just afraid he’s going to lose you again. That’s why he’s acting the way he is. It took him a long time to accept that you’re not coming back. Now that you have…”

“He doesn’t dare to believe it,” Yuuri finished Greta’s sentence. “Oh…!”

“So, go!”

“Yeah. Yeah! Thank you, Greta!”

He kissed the girl’s forehead before quickly heading to the door. He didn’t make it all the way, though, before he realized he wasn’t quite sure where he was going.

“Down the hall, to the left and it’s at the very end,” Greta instructed and Yuuri all but ran out of the room.

He was out of breath by the time he reached Wolfram’s chambers. The door was shut but Yuuri could hear the faint sound of fire crackling in the fireplace. Taking a deep breath, he knocked, and pushed the door open when heard ‘enter!’

Wolfram was wearing a white shirt without any ruffles and the blue pants Yuuri remembered so well. He hadn’t changed out of his boots but his sword was leaning casually against the wall which suggested that he wasn’t planning on leaving the room anymore. He looked up from the paper he was reading when Yuuri walked in and his eyes widened ever so slightly when he saw him.

“Hey, you,” Yuuri greeted, feeling a little awkward. “Or should I say ‘good evening, Your Majesty’?”

Wolfram huffed. “Don’t be an idiot.”

The annoyance in Wolfram’s voice was so familiar that Yuuri dared to take another step in. “You don’t use the study?” he asked, nodding at the pile of paperwork on Wolfram’s desk.

“It felt a bit crowded today,” Wolfram answered, his eyes back on whatever it was he was reading.

“Right…” Yuuri said slowly. “You know, I uh… I had a chat with Greta just now,” he continued. “She’s become… No, that’s the wrong word, she was always lovely… But she’s practically a lady now. She…”

“I don’t need you to tell me about Greta. I know exactly how lovely she was and is and how she’s turned into a young woman half the land fawns over. I’ve been sending away both lords and ladies hopeful to marry her for a while now because I have been _here,_ picking up the pieces after you left. By now, I think I know her better than you so really, you don’t have to tell me that she’s practically a lady. I am well aware of that.”

It felt so good to hear such passion in Wolfram’s voice that Yuuri couldn’t help but smile at his outburst. He tried to mask it, though, quite sure he should appear serious.

“I know. I know, I’m sorry… This all still feels a bit surreal to me, you know? I had finally stopped stepping into every pond I saw and then suddenly Murata pushes me into a fountain and here I am again. It’s a lot to digest.”

“Mm.”

“Look,” Yuuri sighed. “This is not just a friendly visit, okay? Murata says things can go back to the way they were. I can use my own powers to come and go now, so it’s actually going to be more simple, I think. We can… pick up… where we left off?”

He let the last words sound like a question, to see how Wolfram would react. The blond’s cheeks turned a bit red and his eyes narrowed as he stared at Yuuri, eerily quiet. Then, slowly, he stood up.

“Things can go back to the way they were?” he repeated.

“Well, obviously not completely, I mean… You’re the king now. I just meant… that I’m never going to leave for good again. We can…”

“Pick up where we left off?” Wolfram said, repeating Yuuri’s words again. “It’s been five years. What makes you think I haven’t moved on?”

Something cold twisted Yuuri’s guts. No one had mentioned Wolfram having anyone but maybe, just maybe, they had wanted to spare him from that knowledge.

He gave himself a mental kick. It _had_ been five years. Wolfram had every right to be happy with someone else.

“Well, if you have… That’s great. I’m… happy for you, I really am.”

Wolfram closed his eyes, shaking his head. “You little…”

With a few quick steps, Wolfram rounded the table the came to stand in front of Yuuri. Yuuri took half a step back when he saw sparks dancing around Wolfram’s fists but Wolfram stopped him by gripping his shoulders, almost hard enough to hurt.

And then he was shaking Yuuri, his voice furious as he demanded: “Why did you wait so long to come back? What have you been doing? You show me some respect, I’m your fiancé, you little wimp!”

“Look, I didn’t know I could do it either, it’s not my fault! You should be mad at Murata instead of me, get off me you crazy nut!”

And just as abruptly, the shaking stopped. Wolfram’s chest was heaving with short breaths but like melting ice, Yuuri saw the glare in his eyes soften. The grip on his shoulders loosened as Wolfram’s whole body seemed to relax. Slowly, Yuuri pulled him into a hug, and a few moments later, the hug was returned.

“I missed you.”

“I missed you, too.” The pretense was gone from Wolfram’s shaking voice. He sounded raw and vulnerable and Yuuri squeezed him harder. “You really are staying?”

“I’m not going anywhere you can’t follow.”

Wolfram buried his nose into Yuuri shoulder. “I didn’t move on,” he confessed. “I wanted to. I really did, but I never…”

“Me neither,” Yuuri replied.

“I did hate you for a little while.”

“That’s okay.”

“And then I hated myself for hating you.”

“Wolfram…”

“Because I realized that the only reason I hated you for leaving was that I…”

Wolfram swallowed and Yuuri could feel his hands tightening into fists that clung onto his jacket. “I know,” he whispered. “Me, too.”

The blond let out a breath and pushed himself back enough to look Yuuri in the eye. Yuuri smiled gently as he pushed back a strand of hair from his forehead. Then, so very slowly, he brought their lips together for the first kiss that was long overdue.

“Worth the wait?” he asked, their foreheads touching and Wolfram almost chuckled as he answered: “Not yet,” before pulling him in for another, more hungry and passionate kiss that lasted for a second and life time and left them breathless.

“That’s better.”

“Yes, there was certainly _fire_ in it,” Yuuri joked, prompting a real laugh out of Wolfram.

“I’m not going to even dignify that with a reply,” he said.

“What? I thought it was clever!”

“Sure.” Wolfram kept his arms around Yuuri but turned more serious. “It’s uh… Going to take a little while, for the aristocrats to arrange it so that they can crown you the king again,” he said. “I’ve been writing the letters to them all day, Brother should…”

“I don’t want them to crown me.”

“…Yuuri, you…?”

“From what I’ve heard, you’ve done an excellent job at keeping peace and the people love you,” Yuuri said. “You’ve earned the right to keep the crown.”

“You are the one Shinou picked.”

“And he’s not here anymore. Listen, I don’t need to be a king to stay. I’m a little out of practice but I still have my powers and I’ll use them to protect Shin Makoku as your advisor and friend and… fiancé, if you really do still think of me like that.”

Wolfram blushed. “It _was_ an accident. The proposal.”

“Well, then…” Getting down on one knee, Yuuri took Wolfram’s hand into his. “On Earth, this is what is traditionally done when we ask someone to marry us,” he explained when Wolfram looked confused. “It may be a little early for anything absolutely official but, for now… Your Majesty Wolfram von Bielefeld, do you promise to accept my proposal when I, when we’re really ready, slap your cheek with every intention to actually marry you?”

“Yes.”

There was no pause, no hesitation and Yuuri stood up to kiss Wolfram again, full and hard as he had only been able to imagine in his dreams for way too long.

* * *

Greta got married a few months after they did.

She ended up falling for a person Wolfram would have once called a commoner. Looking at him gazing at his daughter as if she had hung up the moon, though, Wolfram figured he at least had a good head on his shoulders, and a big heart. She didn’t pine for fancy things, even after spending half her life in a castle under the protection of two kings. They were opting for the more simple life, instead of accepting the grand castle Wolfram and Yuuri had offered them and honestly, Wolfram knew Greta would be more happy working for what she had than being pampered all her life.

“We’ll be grandparents soon,” he murmured.

Yuuri shivered next to him. “Oh, Shinou help us.”

Wolfram chuckled. He felt Yuuri take his hand, lacing their fingers. It had been weird, at first, to be so publically forward about his feelings without it coming out as anger. It had taken him some time to realize that no one looked at his differently for being softer, more affectionate. But he had, eventually, and so he squeezed Yuuri’s hand in his with no care as to who saw it.

“Do you maybe want to do that again?” he asked, nodding at Greta who was slow dancing in circles with her new husband.

“What? Adopt another kid?”

“Yes. We could do it right this time.”

“She turned out okay.”

“She turned out perfect. But that had a lot to do with who she was before she came to us. And let’s face it, we were kids ourselves. We called ourselves her fathers but we were not the adults in her life.”

“Yeah… You may be right.” Yuuri turned so that they were face to face. “How will be able to walk into an orphanage and not bring them all home, though?”

“There’s enough room in the castle for at least 20 children.”

“Just imagine Gwendal’s face.”

“He’d do well with a reason to leave that office of his once in a while. Honestly, it’s like he’s determined that I should have a year-long honeymoon or something.”

“I’m not complaining.”

“Of course not, you’re a wimp. I actually take being a king seriously.”

“Which is why the kingdom loves you.”

“Hm.”

“It does. And any future kids that we’ll have will love you, too. As do I.”

“...wimp.”

“Hey, you want 20 kids!”

“Let’s start with one,” Wolfram suggested. “If we don’t completely screw them up, we’ll adopt the whole orphanage.”

“Sounds like a plan.”

“Yeah?”

“Sounds like a future.”

“That’s all I ever wanted. A future with you.”

Yuuri smiled. “Well. We’re off to a good start.”

**Author's Note:**

> “Why did you wait so long to come back? What have you been doing? You show me some respect, I’m your fiancé you little wimp!” “Look, I didn’t know I could do it either, it’s not my fault! You should be mad at Murata instead of me, get off me you crazy nut!”- This line was taken directly from the English dubbed version of episode 78.


End file.
